


Love Letters

by LethanWolf



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward first dates, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Getting Together, Jushiro control your husband please, Light Angst, Love Letters, M/M, Seireitei Setting, Valentine's Day, because its cute, but dont really, shunsui needs to stop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29310837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LethanWolf/pseuds/LethanWolf
Summary: ‘This is wrong on so many levels,’ Jushiro chuckled as he dipped the brush down into the pot of ink and sat back to examine his words. Shunsui leaned over his shoulders, eyes scanning the page and then broke into a large grin.‘This is going to work,’ Shunsui replied.{Shunsui is convinced that he knows everything about romance, so decides it would be a fantastic idea to send love letters to various souls in a bid to bring a bit more love into the world.An entire fic where Jushiro is a tolerant husband, this story swaps points of views and was written for the Seireitei discord server Valentines day writing challenge! My prompt: Love Letters.}
Relationships: Hisagi Shuuhei/Ise Nanao, Hitsugaya Toushirou/Kuchiki Rukia, Ichimaru Gin/Matsumoto Rangiku, Kyouraku Shunsui/Ukitake Juushirou
Comments: 37
Kudos: 27
Collections: The Seireitei Server Valentine's Writing and Art Challenge 2021





	1. Shunsui

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to a very self indulgent fluff fest with some light angst in the GinRan chapters.  
> Please note I've taken some creative liberty, this story is set after the defeat of Aizen, but Gin survived.  
> I hope you enjoy it! :D

The dwindling sunlight was shifting across the ancient floorboards, coming to rest at the bottom of the chair where Jushiro had folded himself. In his lap was an open book, the crinkled pages a testament to how many times he’d read the pages before. His long silvery white hair was falling down at the sides, the tips of the strands brushing the pages and his lips moving silently in time with the words he now read.

Shunsui loved this man with all his being, loved him with his very soul. There weren’t any words that existed, that he knew of, that could properly express just how much he cared about Jushiro. This was often how they spent their evenings, when the work of the day could be put to rest, they’d sit by the windows until the light dwindled and they’d poke the fire awake in the hearth. Sometimes Jushiro would bless the walls with his voice as he read the text to Shunsui, a love story between two souls that had always been his favourite.

They were helpless romantics, the both of them. They always had been. Shunsui contemplated as he slowly sipped on his sake, remembering the days they’d gone to the academy together, him chasing girls while the two of them grew closer and closer.

‘Remember the first time I tried to write you a love letter?’ Shunsui broke the silence, relishing in the breathy chuckle that it drew from the other man.

‘How could I forget?’ Jushiro’s voice was tinged with happiness as he turned his page, reminiscing himself now, ‘it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for me.’

Shunsui felt the same surge of pride as he did the very first time that Jushiro told him this.

‘It was hardly well written though,’ Shunsui chuckled, taking another sip and placing the cup down on the table. The light had started to impede the pages that Jushiro was attempting to read, so Shunsui stood to draw the curtains.

‘It was never about the words,’ Jushiro chuckled, giving him a thankful smile when the light was blocked from his book, ‘it was the intent.’

‘If only that same intent existed in kids now, eh?’ Shunsui chuckled, he moved toward the hearth and began to place logs into it.

Jushiro sighed deeply and Shunsui watched as the man marked the page he was at with a marker and closed it, ‘I feel for Matsumoto.’

Shunsui hummed his agreement. It was one thing to go out and get revenge for someone you loved, but another thing entirely to keep them in the dark and manipulate them about it. Ichimaru had clearly done everything he did because of his love for the squad ten lieutenant, but there were far better ways to show someone you loved them.

‘I worry for romance,’ Jushiro said softly, and Shunsui smiled tenderly at the man, leaning over to place his hand over Jushiro’s where it rested against the fabric of the chair.

‘I know, we’ll just need to show these kids how it’s done,’ Shunsui smiled up at him, then turned back to light the kindling.

‘Did you have a plan in mind, or does this have the potential to go over like your cooking fiasco?’ Jushiro’s voice was warm, the note of teasing still present made Shunsui frown.

‘Learning to cook is a necessity, most of the young ones just go the local restaurants for food, the old ways are dying, Jushiro,’ Shunsui turned to his partner with narrowed eyes, ‘we should be doing more to teach them.’

Jushiro had his lips pursed, his green eyes alight with amusement, twinkling in the newly started embers.

‘What did you have in mind?’ he asked.

‘We should,’ Shunsui nodded his head, ‘give them a hand with their love life.’

‘That sounds like a terrible idea,’ Jushiro chuckled.

‘It’s perfect, think about it, what two better souls to teach youth about love than two of the oldest living souls who have been together?’ Shunsui tried his best to make his argument compelling, but in the back of his mind he could already hear his thoughts running wild. They could help Rangiku, they could help set up Nanao they could-

‘I can hear you thinking,’ Jushiro smiled tenderly at him, ‘but I don’t think it’s a good idea.’

Shunsui’s face crumpled at his husband’s words.

‘Why not?’ he tried his best not to pout, but the empathetic look Jushiro sent him told him he’d failed miserably.

‘Getting involved in another’s private affairs could result in heartbreak,’ he replied softly.

‘But it could also lead to love,’ Shunsui prompted, ‘what about young Rukia, you’re always saying you wish she found someone? And I’ve been saying the same thing about Nanao now too… and Rangiku and Ichimaru are already so broken that we can’t do much more damage there.’

Jushiro hesitated and Shunsui saw his eyes slip out of focus for a second.

‘There!’ Shunsui barked, pulling himself up from the floor so quickly he had to snatch his kimono back from the flames before they caught, ‘you had a thought, what was it?’

‘It wasn’t-’

‘We’ve been married for nearly 200 years now,’ Shunsui cited, ‘I can see a thought in your eyes from a flashstep away.’

Jushiro sighed in resigned acceptance and leaned over to put his book down on the old oak table. He lifted his cup of tea into his hands and cradled it as he thought. Shunsui was not a patient man, but his husband had taught him over their years of being married, not to rush him.

‘Young Shiro-chan has grown recently,’ Jushiro said raising his tea to his lips and casting his innocent gaze up his husband to fit the pieces together.

Shunsui felt his brain whirring, then the realisation dawned on him, ‘oh,’ he breathed, ‘oh, that’s a beautiful idea, why did I never think of that?’

Shunsui had to sit down, sinking into the fabric beside his husband. Jushiro inclined his body toward him and leaned into his side. Young Toshiro Hitsugaya had always been given the special nick name by Jushiro and of course his husband would have been looking out for a good match to the non-seated officer he’d grown so attached to.

‘They’d be perfect together, I’ve thought about it for a while now.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Shunsui barely kept the note of accusation out of his voice, they were meant to tell each other everything.

‘Because it was only a recent thought, I saw him deliver some paperwork the other day and noticed that he was now about her height,’ Jushiro said pressing himself into his side and Shunsui threw his arm around his husband to draw him in closer. ‘Not that height should really matter of course.’

‘Do we know anything of their types?’ Shunsui asked, ‘their reishi will be compatible at the very least, but what of their romantic types?’

‘Well, Rukia has turned down both young Kuorsaki and lieutenant Abari, when I asked her about it, she simply said they were too loud and obnoxious,’ he chuckled, ‘it is clear she loves them both deeply, but not romantically.’

‘Alright, and Toshiro is polar opposite to the both of them,’ Shunsui was starting to feel excited, ‘okay, do you have any thoughts on who my lieutenant could date?’

Jushiro’s eyes shifted across the room and back, the movement so fleeting but Shunsui caught it.

‘Who?’ he asked eagerly.

‘She’s your lieutenant, surely you should know who is best for her?’ Jushiro sighed and Shunsui chuckled.

‘I know whoever we set her up with must deeply respect women and must be willing to put up with her bad moods,’ Shunsui said with a chuckle, ‘preferably with good humour.’

‘We’re really doing this,’ Jushiro sighed, though he was also smiling and Shunsui leaned down to peck his lips.

‘Yes we are.’

───── ⋅♡⋅ ─────

An hour later Jushiro was sat at the table his husbands haori draped across his shoulders as he dipped his brush back into its ink. It was agreed that Jushiro’s calligraphy was diverse enough to imitate a few different hand writing styles. Getting something written by Ichimaru had been harder to acquire than the others and Jushiro had sat practicing their writing before starting on a fresh page to write out the letters.

‘This is wrong on so many levels,’ Jushiro chuckled as he dipped the brush down into the pot of ink and sat back to examine his words. Shunsui leaned over his shoulders, eyes scanning the page and then broke into a large grin.

‘This is going to work,’ Shunsui replied.

‘It will only work if the appeal on Ichimaru is successful,’ Jushiro reminded him. Ichimaru had been put before central 46 to be either executed, locked away for life or to have his soul chain cut, effectively removing his soul reaper abilities. Most of the captains who spared any sympathy for Rangiku had voted for one of the latter in their appeal and Shunsui knew that he, Jushiro and Yamamoto had been some of the captains to submit the request.

‘Let’s have hope,’ Shunsui breathed and Jushiro chuckled at him, eyes sparkling with mirth as he handed the completed letters over. Giving them a final check over, they sealed the scrolls with the Gotei thirteenth insignia and set them aside for delivery the next again morning.

Shunsui was so excited with his plan, so convinced it would work, he could barely sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts, please leave me a kudos and comment and consider joining our wonderful Bleach fan fiction writing discord server: discord.gg/drgmaf8


	2. Rukia

Rukia fussed over the tie of her obi as she secured her zanpakuto to her waist. She’d overslept again, something that had become a habit since getting back from the world of the living. The barracks were just as loud as Ichigo and Isshin’s snores so Rukia had very little problem sleeping through the noise, but it didn’t make her look like a capable seated office.

She had been training harder and harder, trying to push herself since showcasing her shikai to her captain and now she was determined to make seated officer before the end of the month. Rukia wouldn’t be able to do that, however, if she kept sleeping in and missing her training sessions.

‘Third seat Kiyone,’ Rukia said as she slipped onto the floor in dogeza outside Kiyone’s living quarters.

‘Stop being so formal,’ the door was slid open and a bleary eyed Kiyone was gazing down at Rukia, yawning widely and covering her mouth with a hand. ‘We spoke about this.’

‘But I was late again,’ Rukia sighed. She’d become very fond of Kiyone but it had taken her much convincing to call the third seat by her first name. Since she’d been assigned as Kiyone’s assistant, Rukia had been training exclusively with her. Kiyone often joked that Rukia could easily overpower her, and Rukia assumed it was just the third seat being friendly, but the more they trained the more Rukia found herself pulling back her own power.

‘We’re not training today,’ Kiyone grumbled leaving the door open and waving Rukia inside with a hand. The seated officer living spaces were generally one room and a bathroom, very small and compact but they offered everything a soul needed, including privacy.

‘We’re not?’ Rukia asked, her voice quirking up at the end in question.

‘No, if you’re going to become a seated officer there’s so much more to the job than training,’ Kiyone smiled and then nodded her head to the small desk in the corner of her room where a large stack of paperwork sat. The papers had been sprawled across the desk and the candle beside it had almost burned down to the bracket that held it, indicating that Kiyone had been working late into the night.

‘Of course,’ Rukia bowed her head. She knew that any seated officer had to help with paperwork. Given the condition of their captain’s health, Rukia understood that more paperwork fell on his seated officers since he had yet to replace his lieutenant.

The constant lack of a lieutenant in the thirteenth had been a topic of hot debate among many souls. Rukia was sure that her captain had good reason for withholding, vowing never to question him on it.

‘Actually there was a piece of paperwork that came through exclusively for you,’ Kiyone mumbled as she put a fresh pot of water over the burnt out fire and poked it awake.

‘For me?’ Rukia asked, dumbfounded as she blinked at the girl. Kiyone nodded and then pointed to the group of scrolls sitting beside her futon. Rukia made her way over, looking across the names, Kiyone had been sorting them into piles, most of them addressed personally to captain Ukitake. One stood out, not just because it was addressed to her, but because the seal was a standard of the Gotei thirteenth instead of a family clan crescent or division seal. Rukia blinked at her name, not recognising the writing and picked it up.

The only person who frequently wrote to her was her brother, but this letter wasn’t from him.

‘It’s addressed to be opened on the 14th,’ Rukia said, curiosity piquing as she broke the seal and unravelled the letter to read. Her eyes swept across the page, growing rounder with each word she read, her face growing hotter.

‘What is it?’ Kiyone asked, and Rukia heard the tinkle of porcelain as the cups were placed down on a low wooden table to her right.

‘Nothing,’ Rukia said, hastily stuffing the letter into the inside of her shihakusho.

‘Rukia,’ Kiyone’s voice was tinged with amusement and Rukia kept her gaze on the pile of scrolls she’d been looking through a moment before, willing her face to cool down. ‘Why are you blushing?’

‘No reason, someone playing a prank, probably Ichigo,’ Rukia hastened to throw the third seat off but it was too late. Kiyone leapt across the table and after an undignified yelp, had Rukia pinned to the floor and pulled the scroll from the inside of her uniform. Rukia had been unprepared for the attack and tried to scramble to get the letter back, but by the time she did, Kiyone had seen enough to know what was going on.

‘It’s a valentine’s day letter,’ she’d squealed, ‘I RECOGNISE THIS WRITING!’

Expecting Kiyone to be quiet was like expecting Ichigo not to rush into a battle headfirst. Rukia was too shocked by the woman’s second statement that it threw off her hush and she blinked stupidly at her.

‘Wait, you do?’

‘YES!’ Kiyone scrambled across the table again, this time Rukia had to catch the tray to stop the tea flying over the floor. Kiyone got to her desk and flicked through paper after paper, muttering to herself as she did so. Once the cups were balanced again, Rukia moved over toward Kiyone and the girl finally extracted a piece of paper from the pile. ‘Here it is!’

With a smirk that stretched her whole face, she handed the report over to Rukia. Taking it, Rukia let her eyes travel down the page, the handwriting was indeed identical, Rukia thought, as she compared it with the letter that she now held in her other hand.

‘It’s his writing,’ Kiyone chuckled, ‘what happened between you two?’

It took Rukia a moment to work out who it was, her eyes finally getting to the bottom of the page after critical evaluation of each character.

Her heart skipped a beat.

The report had been written by Captain Hitsugaya.

‘Nothing,’ Rukia said, feeling her face heat up, ‘we’ve barely spoken.’

‘You were on that mission in the world of the living together though weren’t you? Did nothing happen?’ Kiyone pressed, her tone similar to the tone Rangiku used when she wished to extract gossip.

‘No,’ despite what she was saying being true, Rukia could still feel her face growing hot with embarrassment.

She hadn’t even thought of Captain Hitsugaya that way, she hadn’t thought he was even paying her any attention at all in the world of the living. Rukia groaned internally, she’d done so many embarrassing things in front of him, she’d gotten pretty badly wounded, she’d beaten Ichigo in front of him and been loud and rambunctious. What part of any behaviour she had displayed could he possibly have found attractive?

‘He obviously saw something he liked,’ Kiyone chuckled finally settling to sip her tea.

‘I still think it’s a prank,’ Rukia shook her head.

‘Why?’ Kiyone frowned.

‘He’d sealed this scroll with the seal of the tenth division,’ Rukia nodded to the report that Kiyone had given her, where half the seal could still be seen, but clear as day was the symbol of a daffodil. ‘This one he sealed with the standard Gotei thirteen? Why wouldn’t he use his own?’

‘Maybe because he doesn’t want it to be so official,’ Kiyone winked at her, ‘if it’s the tenth, then it’s for work right?’

‘Isn’t the Gotei thirteen still work though?’ Rukia frowned, ‘I’m still convinced this is a prank.’

‘What if it’s not though,’ Kiyone said seriously, leaning across the table, ‘what if it’s real, are you seriously going to stand him up?’

Rukia’s heart twisted in her chest. The letter asked her to meet him under one of the cherry blossoms of the thirteenth training grounds of the evening of the 14th February.

‘Do you find him attractive?’ Kiyone pressed and Rukia floundered.

‘We shouldn’t be speaking about a captain like that,’ she retorted, mostly to buy herself thinking time. Rukia had never thought of captain Hitsugaya as anything more than just a captain.

‘You two have a lot in common,’ Kiyone shrugged, finishing her tea. Rukia picked up the cup that had been intended for her, feeling rude for not having done so already, and began to drink.

‘Do we?’

‘You both wield ice type zapakuto, you’re both really strong, you’re both friends with Kurosaki, Ichigo, you both enjoy to read, you both hate getting drunk, you both love winter sports-’

‘How do you know so much about him?’ Rukia asked, her mouth falling.

Kiyone grinned at her, ‘Rangiku is a fountain of knowledge on her captain, sometimes I listen, and sometimes I don’t.’

‘Yes, well,’ Rukia cleared her throat, the heat still radiating from her cheeks, ‘how do we know this wasn’t done by Rangiku?’

‘Rangiku has a lot going on,’ Kiyone frowned and Rukia flinched. She’d forgotten about Ichimaru’s tribunal.

The two ladies sat in companionable silence as they digested the situation. Rukia could feel Kiyone’s eyes on her face as she studied her, and Rukia thought about how this could impact their working relationship if she decided to take a leap of faith.

‘So what will you do?’ Kiyone asked.

Rukia sighed and glanced back down at the two letters with identical handwriting, thinking hard. Whatever she did, she knew she couldn’t just stand him up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts, please leave me a kudos and comment and consider joining our wonderful Bleach fan fiction writing discord server: discord.gg/drgmaf8


	3. Gin

Gin Ichimaru had grown numb staring at the ceiling of his cell. He’d refused to adopt any empathy for the Kuchiki girl and how she might have felt while waiting in her cell for her execution, empathy was an emotion that always escaped him.

He would not allow himself to become intimidated by Central 46, he would not allow the guards teasing taunts to get under his skin, he would not allow much of anything to permeate the battered battle armour he now wore. 

Then he heard _her_ voice.

She spoke so softly to him, that Gin was sure he’d partially dozed off, hearing the lull of her voice as he drifted toward sleep. Then she said his name again, sharper and more demanding than the first time she’d spoken it.

‘Gin.’

It was enough to rouse him. Gin shifted and turned to face the front of his cell where Rangiku stood, her face a perfect mask to hide the emotions he knew she was feeling. Despite how Rangiku Matsumoto looked on the outside, fierce, commanding, dominating, in control, Gin could easily read the uncertainty and insecurity in her eyes.

‘Hello Rangiku,’ he offered her name back pleasantly. ‘It’s good to see you.’

She almost broke, the corners of her lips shaking and her eyes hardening their resolve in her steely pale blue gaze.

‘Don’t,’ she breathed, and Gin drunk in every octave of her voice, committing it to memory, the way he’d committed the feel of her to memory too.

‘Don’t what?’ he asked the question innocently after she refused to speak again, losing his patience to hear her voice.

Rangiku reached out to grasp the bar of his cell, her fingers curling around the metal surface as she drew in a sharp breath. She closed her eyes and it was a while before she opened them again.

‘Don’t act like this is just another Saturday evening,’ her voice shook on the words. Gin felt his gut clench, a tiny wavier of remorse for his actions tightening and coiling inside him. He had very few regrets for everything he’d done, but hurting Rangiku was one of them.

‘I loved those Saturday evenings,’ Gin chuckled, standing now, moving toward her like a moth to a flame. Rangiku hesitated at his advances, her body leaning away for a moment before her feet planted themselves and she decided to stay where she could be close to him. Gin leaned his head against the bars, peering down into the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. ‘The world seemed so small back then.’

A smile broke her lips, and though her features were still shrouded with sadness, she was remembering a time when they were not. ‘We were so small back then.’

‘Yer right,’ Gin grinned, his eyes drawing down to her lips, down her neck and to the necklace he’d given her. The chain was simple, ending in a ring that looped the chain back through it, keeping it in place.

The ring had been a promise. A promise of a better life he’d not been able to provide.

He suddenly wished that the bars were gone, so that he could take her into his arms like he had done so many times before, knowing that nothing could hurt her while he held her.

‘I had to do it Ran,’ he drawled, trying to convince himself as much as her.

Rangiku’s eyes flashed a warning up at him and she moved away from the bars.

‘You had to manipulate and nearly kill Momo? You had to mentally abuse Rukia? You had to pretend to…’ her voice choked and she took a deep breath, ‘you had to leave me?’

She whispered the last words and for the first time, Gin felt actual remorse for what he’d done. He reached through the bars toward her, the pain in her voice hurting him too.

‘I did it fer you-’

‘Don’t!’

Gin closed his mouth, his jaw clicking shut with a snap. Rangiku turned away from him, hiding the façade that was clearly failing her. He watched as her shoulders shook, his ears straining for the noise of her distress. Rangiku was a strong woman, and no sob broke her composure, when she turned back to him, he could see the hurt in her eyes, but no tears.

‘Don’t pretend like you did this for anyone other than yourself.’

Her words hurt, they lashed like a whip in the space between them.

‘I knew you could be cruel to others, but I had no idea you would ever be so cruel to the people that _I_ cared about. I thought…’ she took a deep breath, ‘I thought I could teach you compassion, I thought I could teach you love.’

Gin’s heart fluttered dully in his chest. Rangiku stood rooted to the spot but her eyes were on the dirty ground of his cell.

‘Clearly I was wrong,’ she finished, her eyes flying back to his, ‘goodbye, Gin.’

She turned on her heel and Gin knew, he _knew_ that she wasn’t going to come back if she left.

‘Ran!’ he called, an air of desperation in his voice as he pressed his body against the bars to peer down to the hallway, ‘Rangiku!’

Something in his voice made her hesitate at the door.

‘I’m sorry!’ he called, and this time he genuinely meant it.

It wasn’t enough for her to stay. Without looking back, she yanked the door open and the last glimpse of her that he had, was the swish of her shihakusho and strawberry blonde hair.

───── ⋅♡⋅ ─────

‘Gin Ichimaru,’ the dull voice of the Central 46 member thundered around the room, ‘you have been brought before this council under the allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy against the Seireitei, conspiring with enemies of the Seireitei, attempted murder of a Lieutenant of the Gotei thirteen, abduction of a human girl. How do you plead?’

Gin sat on the wooden chair, the ancient wood uncomfortable against his bony cheeks, the stale smell of the chamber only punctuated by the relief of the fresh draft of air blowing in from a barred window set high above the council members. He’d stopped paying attention to them long ago, his eyes focused on the beam of sunlight that shone through the bars instead. It would likely be the last bit of sunlight he’d ever get to see.

‘Guilty,’ he sighed.

He didn’t know what punishment awaited him, nor did he care. The one thing in this world that he did care about, had walked out of his life for good and he knew it just wasn’t worth living anymore. She was his last ray of sunshine.

He still believed that he did the right thing, to try and protect her. He just wished things had played out differently.

‘A number of the captains have appealed your sentence,’ the member stated, ‘ergo we will not be sentencing you to death, but instead either the destruction of your soul chain or a lifetime imprisonment.’

Gin sighed.

‘Which do you choose?’

He didn’t want his powers to be taken away. He knew Aizen wasn’t dead, simply imprisoned and so long as there was even a chance that the man may come back, Gin didn’t want to be powerless to protect the one thing he loved.

‘The latter.’

‘Very well,’ the loud clank of wood on wood sounded around the chamber and Gin was suddenly surrounded by members of squad two. ‘Take him to the maggots nest.’

It was on his way to the hell hole in the ground, that he received a scroll; a handwritten letter that sparked a small flurry of hope in his empty chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts, please leave me a kudos and comment and consider joining our wonderful Bleach fan fiction writing discord server: discord.gg/drgmaf8


	4. Nanao

Nanao had her face buried in her paperwork, trying her best not to overthink the mischief that her captain was getting up to in her absence. She was absolutely, unequivocally, categorically not his caretaker. The rhythmic tapping of her finger on the desk was doing nothing but setting her nerves on edge, they were already frayed, battered and torn after everything that had happened in the Seireitei recently.

What she needed, was a distraction. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and when she opened them again, she returned her brush to the ink and attempted to finish the sentence that she’d spent the better part of ten minutes working on.

It took her a further minute to realise the attempt was futile. Her mind was being uncooperative and stubborn and she returned the ink brush to its pot and gazed around the office space. The bright beams of sunlight that filtered down from the large office windows illuminated the little dust particles in the air. Without her captain’s gentle snores the space was eerily silent, Nanao considered that this was perhaps why she couldn’t concentrate.

Someone rapped loudly on her office door, the sound was like a shotgun in the silence and Nanao’s eyes narrowed.

‘Lieutenant Ise, I bring paperwork from the thirteeth, tenth and seventh.’

Nanao granted permission for him to enter and a large stack of paperwork and scrolls were placed on the edge of her desk. She sighed, this was the downside to being one of the few who worked on the paperwork in the office, she’d have to sign off reports that came from the other squads, even if they required the captains signature.

She sorted each of the scrolls according to their seal, but one stood out, for it had the plain seal of the Gotei thirteenth.

‘What the…?’ Nanao frowned, pulling the seal with a generic stamp out of the mix and glancing at it. This scroll was addressed directly to her and she started. It had been so long since she’d been given a personal letter. Then concern for her captain rose like bile in her throat and she tore it open, trying to calm her heart with thoughts that it wasn’t addressed from the fourth.

Her eyes scoured the words on the page and she felt her jaw go slack.

At first, she almost fell for it, genuinely, she almost did.

Nanao was an astute woman, with eyes as sharp as a blade and she could tell that this wasn’t written by the person it was signed by. Resounding to find out, before she believed the lies, she pocketed the scroll and made for the door to her office. The fresh air felt pleasant against her skin as she pulled the door back and cupped her hand over her eyes in the sunlight that greeted her. She smiled, glad she had an excuse to leave the office before pulling the office door closed behind her.

‘Morning lieutenant Ise,’ everyone greeted her as she made her way through the streets of the eighth division. Nanao returned the greetings, using names where she remembered them. She was in no rush, considering the ninth division was next door, even so the walk took almost an hour and when she did arrive it took her a moment to get her bearings to locate the office.

She knocked on the door and heard the voice of the very lieutenant she wished to speak with.

‘Come in,’ his voice sounded chipper and happy and as Nanao slid the door open, she saw why. In his hand was clutched a scroll, much like the one she carried on the inside of her robes, with the same broken generic wax seal of the Gotei thirteenth.

‘Just as I thought,’ she said at once, without greeting, she pulled the scroll from the inside of her own uniform. Shuhei glanced between the two of them, the smile that had been present on his face slowly sliding off and a small frown replacing it.

‘Oh,’ he said, his shoulders visibly deflating, ‘you didn’t write this?’

Nanao held her hand out for the note, and he handed it to her, she traded it with the one she’d been given. Someone had attempted to write to her in the handwriting of Shuhei, inviting her for dinner at a tiny restaurant she’d never heard the name of.

‘This is a sick prank,’ Shuhei said turning away from her and walking down to the other side of the office. The space was laid out differently to her own, it was much larger, but with smaller windows, trapping in the scent of ink and paper and tea.

‘I bet it was my captain,’ Nanao sighed, ‘I’m really sorry for the disturbance.’

‘It’s fine,’ Shuhei said, but he kept his back to her and Nano could tell by his tone that he didn’t sound fine. She’d not spent a lot of time personally with the lieutenant, but she had known him and worked with him long enough now to know that he was incredibly hardworking and unspeakably loyal.

Nanao didn’t know what to say in that moment to make the situation any better, but she didn’t wish to just leave. ‘We’ve had a lot going on,’ she said finally, ‘and you especially, I’ll make sure my captain understands how wrong this was to do.’

Shuhei sighed loudly, when he turned back to her he’d fixed a sad smile on his face, ‘don’t go too hard on him. I expect he had reason to do it.’

Nanao blinked at the man, watching the way his dark grey eyes seemed to tighten. He’d lost his captain and Nanao was sure that the mention of her own was causing his bad mood. That didn’t explain why he sounded happier before she entered his office. Nanao stood in the space, staring at him, trying to analyse what was going on.

‘Did, um, did you want a cup of tea?’ he offered and she nodded wordlessly as he turned to set the hot water over the heat.

‘What did you mean, when you said you expect that captain Kyoraku had “reason to do it?”’ she asked.

‘Simply that,’ he shrugged, turning around and folding his bare arms across his chest. He was one of the few souls who had altered the look of their uniform, taking the arms off it so it left him in a sleeveless shihakusho. ‘Maybe he thought we were both lonely,’ he let a cheeky grin tug at the corner of his lips and Nanao blinked at him. Then she felt heat rising in her cheeks at what he was insinuating.

‘You think my captian forged fake valentine’s day notes to each of us from the other because he thought we might be lonely?’ she tried to keep the incredulity from her voice as she asked the question, but failed as he chuckled at her.

‘You should see your face,’ he bantered and Nanao just scowled back at him, ‘I’ll admit I was happy when I saw the note. I never thought for a second it might have been fake, I was just…’ he shrugged, ‘happy.’

‘Oh,’Nanao felt awful now, she felt like she’d just come and snatched the one thing from him that had likely made him smile since his captain had abandoned him and his squad. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘You say that a lot,’ Shuhei smiled, ‘you’re apologising for someone else. You’re a kind soul Nanao, beautiful too, I’d have considered myself lucky if a woman like you even took a second glance in my direction.’

Nanao stood still, frozen to the spot. She’d never been complimented like that before. Sure she’d been cat called and complimented all the time by Kyoraku and Rangiku, but never by a potential suiter in a way that didn’t feel degrading or insulting.

‘You’re intelligent too,’ he said turning back to the tea and pouring the water, ‘you worked that prank out quick. I’d have fallen for it.’

‘I…’ Nanao was feeling _shy_ all of a sudden, and she never felt shy, ‘I know what kind of mischief my captain gets up to when my back is turned.’

‘Well it’s a good thing you did,’ he chuckled placing her cup down on the table. Nanao moved around the side of the couch to sit beside it, ‘I’d have been stood up at that restaurant if you hadn’t come today.’

‘I-’ she’d been about to apologise again and he knew it, his eyes sparkling with mirth as he sat down opposite her, at a respectful distance with his own cup of tea. She cleared her throat, willing the heat in her cheeks to cool down.

The two of them took an awkward sip of their own tea, before she decided to humour him.

‘What would you have done on this hypothetical date?’ she asked.

A soft smile played at the edges of his mouth as he considered it, ‘I was just thinking, before you came in that I have an old western suit I could pull out for the occasion. Maybe it’s an assumption but you strike me as the kind of woman who’d want a man to dress clean and respectable.’ He nodded his head, his grey eyes glancing at the top of the room and Nanao watched the small frown lines appearing between his brows as he considered his options. ‘I’d bring you flowers, of course, perhaps try and find out what ones you liked from someone close to you if I had enough time. I’d do my best to listen, make you laugh…’

He trailed off and Nanao sat there, just staring at him with her mouth open. The silence passed between them and only when he stared to look nervous did she speak.

‘So,’ she placed her now empty cup back down on the table, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks again, ‘what time are you picking me up?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts, please leave me a kudos and comment and consider joining our wonderful Bleach fan fiction writing discord server: discord.gg/drgmaf8


	5. Toshiro

Toshiro hadn’t known what to make of the letter when he’d first received it. He fretted over it being some kind of joke or prank but it was the doodle of Chappy in the bottom corner that he was convinced could only have been drawn by Rukia Kuchiki herself, that convinced him otherwise. Then he started to worry about everything else.

He’d started by consulting every document he could to ensure that there were no rules or laws in the soul society that would be frowned upon for him to date a noble woman or a lower ranked member of another squad. By the time he’d completed his research and determined that there were no rules or laws against it, and that as a captain he’d be considered worthy of a noblewoman he barely had time before the event to get himself ready.

He’d spent so long worrying about all the wrong aspects of the evening that he had very little time to care about the important parts. Thankfully he’d had a number of outfits bought for him for his mission in the world of the living by his lieutenant. He picked out a pair of black trousers and a white button down shirt.

Toshiro ran a hand through his hair, his eyes on the clock in his bedroom as he cursed under his breath. He’d decided early enough that he wouldn’t stand her up, it went against every fibre in his body to leave a woman waiting for him, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about this situation or about her? He was sure that Rukia would have ended up dating Kurosaki or the lieutenant of squad six, so what was she doing writing him a love letter?

He watched his reflection as the heat spilled across his face at the thought and he scowled at himself. He had to abandon his hair, he just didn’t have the time or creativity to do something with it before he was leaving and picking the small bundle of white roses that he’d placed on table beside his door.

The white roses had been a last minute decision, deciding to go with something that symbolised the frosty nature they both shared without being overtly romantic, but also, it was a rose, so the meaning could double. Toshiro was fretting, actually he was panicking.

He felt like he’d just been tossed into this, with very little time to decide how he felt and he’d not even had a chance to speak to Rangiku and get her thoughts. Normally something like this he’d discuss with his lieutenant but he didn’t wish to burden her with everything she had going on right now. This was a battle he’d have to take on himself and he desperately wished that he’d had more time to prepare.

Toshiro made his way to the meeting point, his heart hammering all kinds of crazy in his chest. He’d rather be fighting at least three Arrancar than dealing with this. His thoughts ceased when he spotted the very tree they were to be meeting beside, a blanket was laid out in the grass and a bottle sat in a bucket of ice.

He gazed around curiously for the woman in question, now wondering how early she got here to set all this up. He’d never had a woman make this much of an effort for his attention before and he hated that he’d not paid more attention to her. Then he saw her moving through the trees toward the spot, she wore a black kimono patterned with white and lilac flowers, the white obi tied around her slender waist highlighting the swell of her hips just under it. Toshiro’s mouth went dry.

Her skin glittered in the moonlight like freshly fallen snow and though she held herself confidently, with her head held high and her shoulders back, there was something timid and unsure in her movements.

Toshiro felt the moment her eyes finally found him, she smiled shyly and Toshiro made his way toward her.

‘Good evening,’ were not the most romantic first words he could have said. Thankfully the corner of her lips ticked and he was pleased with the way her eyes seemed to scan his body.

‘Good evening,’ she replied, a hint of amusement in her voice as Toshiro held the flowers out to her.

‘These are for you,’ he mumbled, now within touching distance of her. They were basically the same height as each other and he hoped that wouldn’t bother her as they sat down on the blanket.

‘You didn’t need to go to all this trouble,’ she said, nodding her head to the flowers and the blanket. Toshiro frowned.

‘I didn’t,’ he said, ‘I thought you…’ he trailed off as her eyebrows shot up in shock. Nothing on her expression read as anything other than incredulity.

‘Oh,’ he sighed and pulled the letter out from the pocket of his trousers, ‘you didn’t write this did you?’

Toshiro felt himself deflate as he handed the letter across to her. Rukia took it with a frown, her eyes scanning the words and then she checked the seal.

‘No, I didn’t…’ she said after a moment, ‘then I am guessing you didn’t write this?’

Rukia reached into her kimono and pulled out a similar note, handing it over to him. Toshiro took it. Whoever had written it had copied his hand writing almost flawlessly.

‘No,’ he said.

There was a beat of awkward silence. Toshiro felt his heart sink. He’d been stupid to believe that a girl could see him as anything other than the young prodigy captain.

‘Well,’ Rukia mumbled and he turned to see a reddish glow climbing across her beautiful high cheek bones, ‘we’re both here now, we may as well make the most of it.’

She flashed him a grin that literally stole his breath, beautiful white teeth against pale pink lips and large violet eyes finding his own, ‘we can brainstorm who we think it is and kill them tomorrow if it doesn’t go well.’

Toshiro chuckled at her words. They seemed to settle the weight that had fallen into his stomach. Whoever had this this up hadn’t done it with ill intention and clearly Rukia must have had some interest in him otherwise she wouldn’t have bothered to show up at all.

‘My money is on Rangiku,’ Rukia said, curling her legs under herself as she got comfortable on the blanket.

‘Mine isn’t,’ Toshiro smiled and Rukia’s eyes met his again. He felt an electric current jolt down to his stomach when she looked at him. He’d never seen anything so beautiful in the moonlight as Rukia Kuchiki in a kimono. Remember he had words to say and that she was waiting for a response, he continued, ‘I mean Rangiku has had a lot going on, but I don’t think she strikes me as someone who could masterfully forge our handwriting.’

Rukia blinked and nodded her head, ‘I did consider…’ she flinched as she tried to stray away from the topic of Ichimaru, ‘I mean… who else?’

The question was answered for them as Toshiro went to lift the bottle out of the ice bucket and spotted the little note attached to it. It was signed by none other than captains Kyoraku and Ukitake and Toshiro smiled to himself as he twirled the bottle around for her to read it.

‘C-captain?’ she squeaked and then the colour was rising in her cheeks again, ‘why would he?’

‘Perhaps he thought our icy spiritual pressure would be suited for each other,’ Toshiro replied, he found when she got shyer that he got braver, ‘perhaps they were just bored.’

Rukia giggled at that, the sound much more feminine than he’d have expected from the usually rambunctious woman.

He opened the bottle and poured them both a drink. The liquid hit the back of his throat like a breath of liquid fire and he tried his best not to cough in front of her. Rukia took a drink and made a face.

‘Yeah,’ she wheezed, ‘that felt like it’s been picked out by captain Kyoraku.’

It was Toshiro’s turn to chuckle at that, he knew the man had a love for alcohol. Toshiro did not and Rukia didn’t strike him as much of a drinker either. It was welcome in the sense that it provided a beautiful light colouring on her cheeks and made it easier for conversation to flow between them. They spent a bit of time talking about their divisions while he plucked up the courage to ask her the real question he was burning to ask.

‘Forgive me if this is personal,’ he said, gazing away from her. He’d unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt to try and allow some air down his torso, the heat from the alcohol making him feel uncomfortably warm. ‘Why did you choose to meet me here… I thought that,’ he inclined his head awkwardly, ‘you and Kurosaki or you and Abarai…’

‘Oh no,’ Rukia sounded genuinely horrified and as Toshiro turned to watch her, her expression was wide with shock, her lips parted and her eyes wide and round before she shook her head. ‘Oh gods no.’

‘No?’ Toshiro felt the grin crossing his face.

‘No, no, no, they’re my friends but they’re idiots,’ she shut her mouth after that comment but the giggle opened it again, ‘I love them but not, not like that.’

‘Oh, that’s good,’ Toshiro replied.

‘I met you tonight because…’ Rukia frowned into her now empty glass and held it out to him. Toshiro chuckled and took it to fill it up, vowing to stop drinking himself so he could walk her home safely. ‘I was curious. Kiyone seemed to think we had a lot in common, plus you’re,’ she nodded toward him but seemed unwilling to finish the comment.

‘I’m what?’ Toshiro asked curiosity piqued.

‘Attractive,’ Rukia hid her blush behind her next sip and Toshiro felt himself sit up a little straighter.

‘I am?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,’ Rukia’s eyebrows furrowed like she wasn’t sure if he was being facetious or not.

‘It’s just, no one has ever said that about me before,’ Toshiro shrugged.

‘Maybe not to your face,’ Rukia’s words were getting bolder, the more she drank the more she seemed to be acting around him how she’d act around Kurosaki or Abarai.

‘Well I’m glad,’ Toshiro smiled at her, watching the way her eyelashes fluttered against her high cheekbones. ‘I think you’re beautiful too.’

‘Oh,’ Rukia’s cheeks went a tinge darker and she ducked her head, ‘I thought you’d think I was too loud and outspoken.’

‘Maybe that’s what I like about you,’ he grinned, ‘besides, maybe you can actually give me a challenge in a snowball fight. Rangiku is awful.’

Rukia laughed again, her voice high like wind chimes as she considered his proposition.

‘I’ll kick your ass.’

Toshiro laughed heartily at that, the words flowing from the noble woman’s mouth were much closer to words he’d expect from a Rukon district street kid.

‘I guess we’ll have to see,’ Toshiro took another small sip of his drink, his heart lighter than it had been in months.

The evening ended with Toshiro walking her back to the Kuchiki manor, not wishing for her to be left alone tonight after she’d had too much to drink. Despite the alcohol her steps were straight and sure, she moved with all the grace of a fighter in battle and he couldn’t help but be a little impressed by her.

‘Thank you for tonight, Captain,’ Rukia said as she slid open the gate to the Kuchiki manor.

‘Please, call me Toshiro,’ he replied, his hand caught hers, dainty and effeminate with smooth skin. He raised it to his lips and kissed once over her knuckles, relishing the way her cool snowy skin felt against his.

‘Toshiro,’ she breathed his name in a way he’d remember forever, her other hand tucked in at her chest, close to her heart. ‘H-have a good night,’ with an embarrassed bow she turned and closed the doors to the grounds and Toshiro stood there, feeling giddy and excited for the first time in years.

For the first time, he actually felt _warm._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts, please leave me a kudos and comment and consider joining our wonderful Bleach fan fiction writing discord server: discord.gg/drgmaf8


	6. Rangiku

Rangiku hadn’t known what to make of the letter when it had arrived. She’d wanted to burn it, wanted to rip it apart, but as she stood ready to do damage to the paper, her hands shook and the need for comfort eventually won out.

She was so _angry_ with him.

Rangiku didn’t think she could ever let the anger go, but the anger burned along with the passion in her heart. You could be angry with someone and still love them so achingly at the same time. It was horrible, she wished the anger could win out, could burn the love for him out of her chest. For once in her life, Rangiku was suddenly jealous of hollows and the lack of a heart in their chest, how she wished she could be empty too.

It had taken her a while to decide what to do, but ultimately she decided to do as his letter instructed. She spent so long trying to decide what to wear as she would have done every other day she’d go to see him. If she wore her uniform, she’d be giving a clear statement that she didn’t care enough to change, that the letter had meant nothing more to her than another piece of paperwork. However if this letter was the beginning, the beginning of him building compassion, then Rangiku wanted to encourage that. She wanted to wear something she felt comfortable and powerful in, so decided against wearing anything he’d bought her.

Rangiku selected a red dress that she’d bought while shopping with Orihime in the world of the living, it was a gift to herself, a middle finger up to all men who wouldn’t be able to have her in it. That message would continue tonight, she wasn’t about to soil her dress with memories of what could have been. She stared at her reflection, the light that normally stared back at her from her eyes had diminished. The sparkle in them had dwindled and died since he’d chosen Aizen over her.

‘Just get through tonight,’ Rangiku sighed to her own reflection, ‘then we can put this behind us.’

Somehow she knew it wouldn’t be as simple as that, their relationship never was. She straightened up and threw her bag over her shoulder. It contained the letter he’d wrote to her. Leaning against the door was her zanpakuto which she lifted as she stepped outside, there was no way she’d have the strength to face him entirely on her own and though she knew she’d never be able to use her blade against him it made her feel better having Haineko by her side.

The maggots nest was located in the North West section of the second squad and would take Rangiku a whole day to walk there, so she opted for shunpo.

‘We’ve been expecting you,’ one of the guards told her simply when she arrived. Rangiku wondered how Gin had managed to sway this meeting. She wasn’t looking forward to being gaped at by all the souls who resided in the nest, alas, the guard led her to a room at the side. The chamber was obviously meant to be an interrogation room. The walls were made of cold hard steel, and the guard instructed her to wait inside while he fetched the prisoner.

Rangiku waited, impatiently, her foot tapping on the concrete floor and her painted nails drumming on the steel table. Gin was led inside and she was rather impressed at how well he’d scrubbed up considering where he’d been kept. Gin showed up in black suit, the shirt of which was a faint lavender colour matching his hair.

‘Do you want him with or without the restraints?’ the guard asked, nodding at Gin’s hands where he’d been secured with the spiritual repressing restraints.

‘Without,’ Rangiku sighed, despite their history, she knew that Gin would not hurt her physically. All the worst damage he could possible do, he’d already done to her heart.

‘Alright,’ the guard sounded unsure, but removed the rock binding his hands before ducking out of the room. She knew that the other side of the door was being guarded and unless they kept their voices down, their conversation wouldn’t be private.

‘Sorry ah couldn’t take yer out for dinner,’ Gin said, grin present as he slipped into the seat opposite her.

Rangiku gave him an unimpressed and flat stare back which had him swallowing whatever other witty retort he had been about to follow up with. They stared at each other for a while and eventually his eyes travelled over what she was wearing. His shoulders seemed to deflate and his posture suggested he’d given in.

‘Yeh look beautiful,’ he murmured and Rangiku felt like his blade had pierced her heart.

‘Why did you write me a love letter?’ Rangiku asked as she pulled the note from her bag and tossed it across the table at him. Gin’s pale eyebrows knitted together, his long fingers picked up the piece of paper and his eyes scanned across the surface as he read it. If Rangiku didn’t know any better, she’d have said he had been on the verge of denying that he’d wrote her anything, but thought better of it.

‘Ah wanted to see yer again,’ he shrugged casually and placed the bit of paper down on the table.

‘I can’t keep doing this, Gin,’ Rangiku worked hard to keep the emotion out of her voice, ‘this little game of cat and mouse that only you seem to understand the rules of.’

Gin clasped his long fingers together on the table, his eyes fixed on her as Rangiku stared determinedly back.

‘Ah know,’ he said, ‘no more games, Rangiku, ah promise. Ever since ah saw yeh lying there, half starved, ah vowed to do everything ah could to protect yeh. Ah understand that my actions haven’t always come across as such, but ah’m done trying to fight this. Ah love yeh, Rangiku, ah always have.’

As Gin spoke, his voice was strong and didn’t wavier, he was resolute in his decision.

‘Don’t,’ Rangiku shook her head, feeling the tears threatening her once again, ‘don’t sit there and pretend like you know anything about love, Gin.’

Hurt flashed across his face, but it was gone in the blink of her blurry eyes.

‘Ah know that yer probably the most beautiful thing ah’v ever seen in all my lives,’ Gin replied after a few moments, ‘ah know that only you can make my heart flutter in my chest. Ah know what it’s like to wake up next to yeh, with the taste of yeh still on my lips and know it’ll never be enough-’

‘Please stop,’ Rangiku begged, the first of the tears spilling from her eyes as her heart finally gave out. Gin refused to listen, he kept going.

‘Ah know what it’s like to want to die for someone because their safety is the most important thing in the world to me. Ah know what it’s like to wish to be a better man for someone else,’ Gin stopped, his fingers coming apart and he stood from his chair, walking his way around the table. Rangiku felt trapped, suffocated by her feelings for him, her heart locking her in place in her chair as he bent down to be eye level with her.

‘Maybe ah don’t know love, but ah know what it’s like to _love you.’_

His hands found either side of her face, his thumbs stroking away the tears that spilled from her eyes. Rangiku raised her hand to wrap it around one of his and then he was leaning down. Gin captured her lips in a press that was so familiar, so heartbreakingly _him_ that Rangiku melted against his touch. He kept the kiss light, not deepening it without her consent and Rangiku parted her lips to draw his flavour back into her mouth. It was a taste she was so accustomed to, the taste that once reminded her of happiness and longing. Gin pulled back, pecking her lips once more before leaning away from her. She melted against his hand, which still cupped her cheek and let her heart try and settle back into a normal rhythm before she replied.

‘I had so many hopes for us, Gin,’ she murmured, ‘the hope of a family, of a life together. It all ended the instant you took off with Aizen, how can I ever trust you not to leave me again?’

Gin gazed at her for a long time, contemplating his words. ‘Because ah know better now, ah never should have made those decisions without you.’

He picked up her other hand in his. She could feel his calloused fingers stroking the skin on the back of her hand. ‘Ah understand that now, whatever happens from here, ah’ll decide with you.’

Rangiku smiled sadly, ‘and how are we meant to have a life with you living here in the maggots nest?’

‘Ah’ll write yeh every day,’ he grinned, ‘just like that letter,’ he nodded to the table where the piece of paper sat.

‘And… the future?’ she asked tentatively.

‘If Kurotsuchi can get out of the maggots nest, ah think ah stand a pretty good chance,’ he grinned.

It was probably a pipe dream, Rangiku doubted Yamamoto would ever let Gin see the light of day again, but she wanted it to be real. She wanted so badly for it to be real.

Rangiku took a deep breath, letting it out across his lips, ‘I suppose we can try to start again. But know this, if you ever break my heart again,’ she glared at him, ‘I’ll walk away and I won’t ever come back.’

‘The day ah ever hurt yeh again, is the day ah cease to live,’ Gin promised. Rangiku smiled at him, and then she was kissing him again.

The guard knocked on the door, reminding them of their dwindling time together. Time they spent trying to be as physically close to each other as they once were.

So what if she ruined her dress for him? It would be worth it in the end, if he kept his promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts, please leave me a kudos and comment and consider joining our wonderful Bleach fan fiction writing discord server: discord.gg/drgmaf8


	7. Shuhei

Shuhei couldn’t believe his good luck. Nanao’s captain had pulled out all the stops for them and given him a spring board. Shuhei stood outside the tiny restaurant where the letters had told them to meet each other, he clutched the pink begonias close to his chest, his heart hammering.

He’d offered to walk her, but being ever the astute lieutenant that she was, once they’d worked out the restaurants location, had decided to meet him there instead to stop him doubling back on his path. Shuhei had tried to argue that he didn’t mind, but she’d insisted and he didn’t wish to start an argument with her on the very day he was taking her out. He’d resolved to walk her home at the very least, and he’d argue that point if he had to.

Nanao rounded the corner to his left, her long dark hair wasn’t pinned back this time, but was left flowing down her shoulders, strands of it caught around her neck in the evening breeze. She wore a traditional floral kimono tied around the waist. The colours were pale lilac and blue, complimenting her eyes.

‘You look beautiful,’ Shuhei said nervously as he held the flowers out to her. A light dusting of pink ghosted under her glasses and she dipped her head to sniff the flowers.

‘Thank you,’ she straightened back up, ‘you went with the colour of my squad.’

‘I- thought you’d appreciate it,’ Shuhei chuckled, rubbing his neck. He still couldn’t believe his good luck, there was at least a fifty percent chance that she could have stood him up tonight. He turned and opened the door for her to enter.

The entire restaurant had been booked out for them by Kyoraku, their server bowed as they entered. The place was tiny and private, only able to seat around ten or so souls at a time. They knelt down at the traditional table and placed their orders, drinking as they waited for the food to cook.

‘How has Rangiku been?’ Shuhei asked. He’d absolutely, one thousand percent, not done research into what topics to chat to a girl about on a first date. And his non-existent sources had one thousand percent not told him to speak about her and her friends.

Nanao’s lips twitched, as if knowing exactly where he’d gotten the idea from, ‘she’s been better.’

Shuhei grimaced, ‘I’ve not been out drinking with her and Izuru for a while,’ he inclined his head with a sigh, ‘I’m worried about all of them, Momo too.’

‘They’ve all seen better days,’ Nanao sighed, she leaned back and studied him, as if trying to figure out how much she should tell him. ‘Rangiku is meeting Gin tonight.’

‘Wh- what?’ Shuhei stuttered, ‘isn’t he in the maggots nest? That’s the last report I saw.’

Nanao hummed in confirmation, her slender fingers touching her own chin thoughtfully as she stared at a point on the wall above his shoulder, ‘it’s a terrible situation. She still cares deeply for him. I said to myself that I would never date a colleague after everything she went through.’

Shuhei watched as the corner of her mouth ticked then her eyes found his.

‘Here I am.’

‘Here you are,’ Shuhei chuckled, taking a sip of his drink to try and hide the tremor in his hand. ‘What made you change your mind?’

It was a loaded question, but one he felt he deserved the answer to. Nanao considered him for a moment, her intelligent eyes critical behind her glasses.

‘After everything that has happened, in driving our divisions apart, what I once thought a military approach could prevent, I see now only an emotional one can.’

‘What do you mean?’ Shuhei asked, only partly understanding what she was getting at.

‘The people who left, who betrayed us, were not the most empathetic people, otherwise they would never have done what they did. They might have thought they were doing the right thing, but if they held real love… real ties to the people around them, they’d never have done it.’ Nanao shrugged, ‘it’s my assumption anyway, the bond between a captain and lieutenant when built on military standards alone, might not be enough to prevent a future situation similar to this happening again.’

‘But didn’t Gin love Rangiku?’ Shuhei asked, still not really understanding.

‘She did, but she loved captain Hitsugaya more,’ Nanao finished.

‘What?’ Shuhei blinked.

‘He’s like her little brother, she adores him, she practically raised him. There wouldn’t be a single thing in this world that would cause Rangiku to turn her back on him.’

‘What about Momo?’ Shuhei asked.

‘She held more love for the wrong man,’ Nanao smiled sadly. ‘And if she’d spent more time with captain Hitsugaya, if Momo had spent more time with her friends Izuru and Renji, maybe things would have gone differently. I can’t say for certain, but it’s what my heart says.’

Shuhei digested her words. ‘I guess we have to choose to close ourselves off to the relationships that could hurt us and vow never to feel, or give it a chance.’

‘Exactly,’ she smiled sheepishly at him, ‘While I’ve always lived by the former I am now choosing the latter.’

‘Well I am glad you’re giving me the chance,’ he said grinning at her as their food arrived. They picked at the meal on the table, turning their attention to lighter topics.

‘Do you think it was just us that got given these love letters tonight?’ Shuhei asked her.

‘No, it wasn’t,’ Nanao lifted a dumpling and bit into it, ‘I cornered my captain and had him confess that he’d written a letter to two other pairs.’

‘Did he say who they were?’ Shuhei was genuinely curious now, leaning across the table, he loved gossip as much as the next soul.

‘Maybe,’ Nanao smiled, a beautiful twinkle in her eye, ‘but short of it ending up in the Seireitei Bulletin I don’t think I’ll be telling you.’

Shuhei pouted at her and she laughed.

It was the first time he’d seen her laugh, it was nice, to be reminded that there could be some happiness in the world. That _they_ could be happy, despite the world crumbling around them. He spent the better part of the next twenty minutes trying to guess names, while Nanao just shook her head and promised that she wasn’t going to tell him anything.

‘I will tell you,’ she said, waving her chopsticks at him, ‘once the evening is over and I find out how they all got on.’

‘Does that mean I get to take you out again?’ Shuhei grinned and she smiled at him over the top of her glass.

‘Maybe,’ she confirmed.

He was pretty sure she never outright said “yes” to things.

‘Perfect, how about this weekend?’ he asked and she nodded her head. Talk swapped to hobbies and interests, he listened patiently to her while she gushed about the latest series of books she was reading and he spoke to her about his bankai training. They were ushered from the restaurant fifteen minutes after closing, having not realised the time. Shuhei managed to walk her back to her quarters without much of a fuss where she stopped in front of him.

‘This is me,’ Nanao said with a soft smile. They were in the heart of the eighth division, the small lieutenant living quarters close to her captains where Shuhei was _sure_ he’d seen the curtain twitch.

‘I had a wonderful time tonight,’ Shuhei grinned down at her, ‘it’s the first time I’ve felt happy in so long.’

‘Me too,’ she ducked her head, but her legs didn’t move. Feeling brave, Shuhei leaned forward and she met him halfway. Their lips met in a delicate press, nothing more, and he didn’t push to deepen it. He pulled back and grinned down at her, a beautiful pink hue dusted her cheeks.

‘My captain is watching, isn’t he?’ she asked.

Shuhei’s eyes flickered up to where he’d seen the curtain twitch earlier, only to see two sets of eyes quickly disappear back behind it again. He chuckled and nodded his head, ‘so is his husband.’

Nanao sighed in exasperation as she turned to glare at her captain’s house.

‘Maybe next time we’ll get more privacy,’ Shuhei said with a fond smile.

‘I doubt it,’ she murmured under her breath. Shuhei laughed, his heart feeling giddy and light, he leaned down and pecked her cheek which had her face heating up even more.

‘Goodnight, Nanao,’ he said before turning and walking away. He double checked she got in safely over his shoulder before he departed from view, barely resisting the urge the skip as he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts, please leave me a kudos and comment and consider joining our wonderful Bleach fan fiction writing discord server: discord.gg/drgmaf8


	8. Jushiro

Jushiro smiled warmly watching his husband peer out the curtains for the twentieth time that evening.

‘A clock will not move if you watch its hands,’ Jushiro chided him gently. He was curled up in bed, with a book open on his lap and a drink of water beside him. 

‘Can you believe how well this has been going?’ Shunsui’s weight bounced on the bed and Jushiro sighed patiently at him. ‘My insider in the maggots nest informed me that Rangiku and Gin had _definitely_ made up, then the news that young Toshiro kissed Rukia’s hand when he dropped her off? We just need this pairing to end well and we’ll be three for three.’

‘You’re far too invested in this,’ Jushiro smiled warmly at the back of his husband’s head.

‘They’re back!’ Shunsui hissed excitedly as he let the curtain fall and turned to beam at him. Jushiro felt a pulse of excitement course through his veins. They were watching to see if Shuhei and Nanao had a positive end to their date that evening as the others had. The fact that they’d returned so late could only mean good things, and the fact they’d returned together?

‘Is he going inside with her?’ Jushiro scrambled to his husbands side who was chuckling under his breath.

‘Now look who’s invested,’ Shunsui’s voice teased against his ear. Jushiro ignored him, peeling back the curtain so the two of them could peer out into the night. Shuhei and Nanao were stood outside her house, it didn’t seem like she was bringing him inside.

‘He got her flowers,’ Jushiro whispered excitedly.

‘They’re going to kiss!’

Shuhei leaned down and Nanao leaned up at the exact moment, their lips locking. It didn’t last for long, neither of them pushing for more, simply enjoying the tentative press of lips.

‘Awww,’ Jushiro and his husband cooed collectively at the same time, but pulled back quickly from the window the moment Shunei’s eyes flickered up to them.

‘Do you think he saw us?’ Shunsui asked.

‘I’m most certain he did,’ Jushiro chuckled and heard his husband groan.

‘Nanao is going to kill me tomorrow,’ he sighed.

‘I’ll miss you,’ Jushiro patted his arm condescendingly while the man huffed, ‘shall we have a drink together to celebrate the master plan being completed?’

Shunsui’s eyes lit up, sparkling in the low light of the room, ‘and take bets on what happens from here on?’

‘If that will make you happy,’ Jushiro chuckled, ‘I am just glad that there’s a little more love in the world right now.’

Shunsui swooped down on him and kissed him, holding him close and securely in a way that reminded Jushiro vividly of their young college years.

‘Me too.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know your thoughts, please leave me a kudos and comment and consider joining our wonderful Bleach fan fiction writing discord server: discord.gg/drgmaf8


End file.
